The Needle in the Haystack
by Lucy Deveraux
Summary: Lucy Snape was happy dating Draco Malfoy. In fact, she could admit that she loved him. But can their love be outweighed when Lucy comes upon a handsome stranger who has quite the charm? Or will her love for Draco outweigh her feelings for the stranger?
1. Chapter 1

**The Needle in the Haystack**

By Lucy Deveraux

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for the obvious. Credit to several of the characters and all of the setting goes to JK Rowling. Thank you.

A/N: I haven't written in forever so I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes and short chapters! I'm a bit rusty so you'll have to give me some time! Thanks for the patience and feel free to give me a review!

****FLASHBACK****

"DAILY PROPHET! COME AND GET YOUR DAILY PROPHET RIGHT HERE!" screamed the boy who seemed to be younger than twelve. He waved the large wad of paper in the air. The pages ruffled loudly in the wind causing people to divert their attention to the boy. "DAILY PROPHET!" he called again.

A hooded figure emerged from the dark. It advanced towards the boy, placing a weary hand onto the shoulder of the newsie's suede vest. "Excuse me Lad?" The shadowy face was invisible in the darkness that surrounded the entire town that day. Something evil had happened, and someone evil was among everyone, everything… The skies were gray with thunder storm clouds. The rain beat down on the roofs. _Pitter Patter_. The boy strode over to the figure. He raised his head to look at the tall figure from under his cap. "Ah Yes Sir!" The accent was harsh and almost untranslatable. "What's it you need Sir?"

The figure looked to the boy, his face still hidden from view. "One daily prophet" asked the man. The stranger removed two Knuts from inside his long back cloak. His hair was graying. It hung down to his ankles as he leaned over the boy.

"That'll be one knut, Sir." The child's voice grew quieter. He leaned over a bit, trying to peak under the hood of the strange man who stood beside him. Who was this stranger?

"Ah yes. I believe so." The figure took the paper and gave the child two Knuts: one for the paper and one for a tip. He sat onto the bench closest to the vender. "So," he said, "What's the news on you-know-who?" The man opened the paper and leaned back on the bench. He shuffled the papers a few times. His eyes then caught a headline in the smallest print. He quickly sat up. It read:

CHILD FOUND: NEEDING FOSTER FAMILY

Baby girl found: RED hair, PALE WHITE skin, BROWN eyes. The girl seems to be a few months old. It is unsure how long she was in the broom cupboard of the old Riddle Family House. The house keeper found her late in the afternoon. A letter was found with her. It said that the girl's name was Lucy. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THIS CHILD, PLEASE CONTACT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC.

The man folded the paper up and slid it into his cloak. "Sad, isn't it? This baby girl was abandoned."

"Aye, Sir! Very sad indeed!" the boy responded. The stranger knew something the boy didn't. The girl was found in the childhood home of the darkest of all wizards. The rain continued to pour for the rest of the night.

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Everything comes down to this. The game is tied. The Slytherins flying alongside Ravenclaw number twenty-two have made a plan. One flies around to the other side AND… OH! THEY NAIL IT! THE QUAFFLE IS THROWN AND THE SLYTHERIN CHASER CATCHES IT! 5, 4, 3! AND THE CROWD ROARS AS THE SLYTHERIN THROWS THE QUAFFLE THROUGH THE RING! 10 POINTS TO SLYTHERIN AND THEY WIN THE GAME!" screams the announcer, most excitedly. I just looked around for a moment, noticing everyone was standing and clapping and cheering, and of course, most of the Ravenclaws booed. I just stood there, clapping along with everyone else. My face was blank. I had no interest in this sport at all. I'm more of a book person. Ever since I got to know Draco, he's been buying me a ticket to watch. As much as I didn't want to be there, I had to go. I'd go only for Draco.

Once everyone had begun to pack up and head back to the castle, I stood and stormed off, bored. The stairs were never ending. Step after step after step, I trudged down to the cobble path that led back. The rain fell upon my copper red hair. It turned a darker auburn color by the time I had arrived. Puddles began to form from the water I was wringing from by hair. I put it in a loose pony tail as I continued on down stairs to the dungeons. It slowly got darker going down the stairs. It seemed like someone had blown all the lanterns and candelabras out. What a horrible prank! I could fall down the stairs and break my skull open! Pulling out my wand, I spoke in a clear voice.

"_Lumos." _Light flew from the tip of my wand. It blinded me for a second when I realized what my surroundings look like: spiders and cobwebs all over the ceiling. I was shocked. The 11 inches of wood slipped from my hand, cluttering to the ground. The light went out and I was left to search for it blindly. My hands searched the hard stone stairs. Suddenly, a light brightened the staircase once more. I saw my wand and grabbed it. I looked up to see the source of the light, squinting. It was another Slytherin student. His hair was a dark brown that fit perfectly with his lightly tanned skin. His face was flawless. My hands flew up to my eyes, rubbing them before looking back up to the boy. He was inhumanly beautiful.

"What are you doing down there?" A hint of ignorance and annoyance filled his voice.

"Oh, um." I was at a loss for words. I didn't even know this boy, yet he used that voice on me? It's as if I'm a first year. I finally found the words I was searching for. "I'm sorry, I was just looking for my…" I found my wand quickly, picking it up into my grasp. I waved it a little, directing him to come to the conclusion that it was what I was looking for.

"Hm…" the boy narrowed his eyes at me for a second.

"Yea" I responded. It was getting awkward now. We were just looking away from each other, trying not to make eye contact as I sat on the ground. He mumbled something. I'm not sure what exactly. He ughed at me and placed his hand down to help me up. I generously accepted it and he tugged me back onto my feet. Being the clumsy person I am, I stumbled forward into him. My apology came out quickly. I was stumbling over my words. I never stumble over my words. This was strange. Every time I looked at him, I grew nervous and my palms began to sweat. Lazily, I moved out of his grasp. Clearing my throat, I looked around awkwardly.

"I, uhh, better go…" he stated towards me. I swear he was blushing; however, I could tell he felt as awkward as I had. He quickly rushed off in the opposite direct I was headed. I'm not sure if that was on purpose.

Lighting my wand up, the common room came into view. The painting's eyes met with mine. I whispered the password to the canvas and it opened widely. 'Dragon heartstring'. That was the password. I still remember my first day at Hogwarts when I learned that very password. On that day, I met Draco. What a flirt. He charmed me. He had just broken up with Pansy Parkinson. Well, she broke up with him technically. He was a mess. That's the day we talked a lot. He told me about his father and how he was the only person he could rely on and that his mother was always off somewhere. "What a pea-brain" he said. "Never liked that woman."

Draco and I were dating. The happiest couple in Slytherin House… for now it seemed that way. I loved Draco. He loved me. I love his sensitive side. He loves my shy side. Fact: My shy side is my only side. I never was that social, even as a child growing up. My father, Professor Severus Snape, was very protective for some reason. I never learned why he didn't let me get close to anyone. He only allowed me to hang out with Draco and other friends of his. Everyone I knew wore black. It was too dark for my taste but my father wanted to hide me. He didn't want me to be noticed. I blended in with everyone, or at least tried to. My clumsy and awkward behavior always made me stand out. I was also the most studious of my fellow Slytherins. I could almost pass for a Ravenclaw.

The painting swung open, allowing me to enter into my common room. No one had arrived back from the game yet. I'm guessing everyone was out celebrating the win. However, I knew that Draco would be looking for me. I plopped down onto the black leather couch that sat in the center of the room. My eyes fluttered closed and a sigh escaped my pink lips. My arms rested across my stomach. The silence was peaceful. I very much enjoyed sitting there; listening to the only noises I could hear: the cracking of wood in the fireplace as it burned and the swishing of water outside the common room window as creatures swam by. Thoughts raced my mind of the stranger I met on the staircase down here. I didn't recognize him. Then again, I'm not the social type.

There was a loud smack on the leather and my eyes flew open. The startling noise caused me to gasp for breath as if I just woke from death. My vision jetted around the room before I noticed who it was.

"Oh, it's just you" I said, glancing at the stranger. It was strange that he arrived right as I was thinking of him. He flicked his head to the right, removing the brown hair from his vision.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you were alive" he stated awkwardly. I looked up into his eyes by accident. Our glance connected and we froze in time, just staring at each other. _Sparks_. I snapped out of the trance as I heard the wood in the fire crack loudly.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine… thank you." Why were we so awkward? Why was I staring at him? I have Draco. What's going on? Am I blushing?! My mind raced as I tried to grasp the situation. He moved to sit down where my feet were resting. I hastily slid them towards myself to make room for him. I placed my feet on the ground and folded my hands in my lap. I looked around awkwardly, trying not to look at him. His gaze burned into me. I could tell he was looking right at me. I wasn't sure if he was checking me out or just wondering if I needed to go to the hospital wing for losing my sanity.

"What are you looking at?" I cleared my throat. My body shifted a bit to face him. The smirk on his face gave me chills, goosebumps (the good kind). Slowly, his lips adjusted back to their normal, "no-emotion" look that "manly men" have plastered on their face. We sat in silence until I disturbed it a few moments later.

"Who are you?" I questioned him. His eyes flew upward. Before he could answer, the painting swung open. The loud screeching noise of it made me jump. My body shifted once more, this time to look at the student entering. A large grin flew onto my face as I saw blonde hair. Draco swiftly hopped over the back of the couch like a ninja, landing in between me and the boy I had yet to meet properly. His arm wrapped around my back and he placed his hand around onto my waist. I noticed an apple in Draco's other hand. His hand lifted the fruit to his mouth. His teeth crunched down onto it, removing a chunk. He chewed and swallowed before turning to the stranger. He raised an eyebrow to the boy and the stranger turned away from looking at him and nodded once. The stranger smiled down at his own hands and then rose from the couch. He peeked back at me and started out of the common room. He left without a word, but Draco's eyes, filled with disgust, didn't leave him until he couldn't see him anymore.

Once the stranger left, Draco threw the apple into the fireplace and turned to me. I felt a light vibration in his chest as he pressed himself closer to me. He grabbed one of my ankles and tugged it onto the couch until I was lying flat on my back. Draco lay by my side and smiled down at me. I smiled up at him. He leaned down to me, entwining his lips with mine. He tasted like apple and his lips were soft. I giggled into our laugh which caused him to pull away

"What?" he asked down to me. His striking blonde hair softly flicked downward. His hair wasn't very long but it definitely wasn't a buzz cut. It looks so smooth and it felt like silk as I slid my fingers through it. I heard him hum as I did this, enjoying the reaction I had on him.

"You taste like apple." I tried to say while I was laughing. His electric blue eyes looked at me in confusion. I gave him a reassuring smile which mentally told him that it was a good thing. His arms wrapped around me. I was encased in a large hug. It wasn't released however. He moved on top of me and applied his weight to me. He rested his head down on my chest and sighed deeply. After a while, I broke the silence before it became an awkward, uncomfortable one.

"It was a nice game today. You were amazing." My words were a lie. I didn't even watch the game. BUT it's the thought that counts, _right_?

He turned his head up towards me. My brown eyes met his blue ones and I leaned down, giving him a small kiss on the forehead. I gave him another reassuring smile and he rested his head back down onto my chest. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and relaxed into the couch. My eyes fluttered closed as we were engulfed in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

SMACK!

My eyes fluttered open and I shot up violently. I frantically looked around the room. Draco wasn't there which made me kind of sad. I wanted him to hold me, protect me from the loud noise, but since he wasn't there to comfort me, I forced myself to do it. I slowly breathed in ordered to calm my heart which was beating like crazy. Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale. Once my breathing was back to normal and my nerves calmed, my eyes shot up to find the source of the loud smack that caused me to wake.

I should have known. My eyes met those of the brown-haired boy from earlier. This felt like Déjà vu. I racked my memory and then the image of me resting on the same sofa and being awakened by a loud smack on the leather of the couch popped into mind. I sighed loudly and turned from my place to sit like a normal human being. I heard the boy laughing. I was still half asleep, letting out a yawn and stretching my back muscles and arms. My head pounded in my ears. I moved my hand up to rub my temples but they were abruptly stopped by warm, rough hands. My eyes slowly shut as two fingers rubbed circles on my skin. Relaxation set in and the pounding slowly stopped. And then I remember something. Draco wasn't there. My eyes flew open and I shot off the couch. I turned to look at whose hands they were. My heart stopped.

"Oh, um," the stuttering voice quickly said, "I was just-" My hand flew up to stop him. I looked down at the floor, my heart beginning to pound again. I tried not to make eye contact with him. He was beautiful and irresistible… but I have a boyfriend! He knew that! My eyes remained looking at the large rug. I was scared that if I looked at a single one of his beautiful features that I'd melt into a pool of Lucy goo. But I was infuriated by the nerve of this guy! I didn't even know his name and there he is, rubbing my head! I finally decided to ask the question I wanted to ask since I met this beautiful but flirtatious stranger.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I spat. My face finally lifted to his when I felt I was mad enough at him to not fall for him right then and there. He was stood behind the couch and I stood on the opposite side. I made sure to keep the distance from him as he circled around to the front.

DAMON'S POV

I just looked at her. She's so cute when she's angry. I stared into her beautiful brown eyes. I felt myself get lost in them. I was soon woken from my trance as she scoffed at me. She turned from me and started toward the dorms. I quickly took action, grabbing her forearm in my hand. I tugged her back to face me, my hand never leaving her forearm. I didn't want her to leave. What was I doing last? I remember her question then.

"M-My name is Damon" I quickly responded to her and she turned back to look at me. Was I stuttering? Was I nervous? Hell no! I've never been nervous over a girl before! Even a girl as pretty as she!

"OW! DAMON!" I heard her squeal. "YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

My eyes searched for what I was doing. I found that my hand was still on her forearm; my knuckles were white, squeezing tightly. My touch was hastily removed from her. I didn't realize I was getting mad over my being nervous. I looked up to her, my face stricken with guilt. I tried to search for something to say but fell short. Then, I saw her eyes filled to the brim with tears. I tried to approach her to comfort her with my outstretched hand and apologize a million times but she flinched and stepped back. My eyes locked with hers and as she blinked, tears rolled down her cheeks. I just stood there. I had no idea what to do. She stared at me, her eyes filled with disgust and hatred and sadness and anger all mixed into one hell hole for me. I felt as though I _was_ in hell. I never wanted this sweet, beautiful angel in front of me to be scared of me. My heart began to hurt at the thought. It went straight from the center of my chest, all the way up to the back of my throat. I cringed; my eye contact broke with hers and the hand I held out to her curled into a fist and felt down to my side. I was defeated. She quickly ran out of the common room and up into the dorms. Slowly, my bum met with the leather of the couch. I stretched out, placing my hand over my eyes in frustration. I could hear her muffled crying from down in the common room as my eyes slowly closed and I drifted into sleep.

LUCY'S POV

Pain shot up my arm. I moved my eyes down to the source and found that it wrapped way too tightly around my forearm.

"OW! DAMON!" I screeched. "YOU'RE HURTING ME!" He removed his hand from me and I stood there, frozen, frightened. I could feel my blood boil and my harpy side begin to take over but I resisted. No one was to know of the power I contained. I forced my anger to turn to sadness instead. The back of my throat began to burn and I felt the warm liquid reach my eyes. I just stared at him. I didn't know what to do. I didn't blink, for fear that my sobbing would begin and I would make a fool of myself. That's when he advanced towards me. I automatically flinched and back away from him. I was terrified. His hand fell back to his side and that's when I knew it was the perfect moment to sprint into my room. My tears were already rolling down my cheeks so it was alright to make a fool of myself I guess. I quickly stumbled up the stairs and peaked back to find him still standing there. He reminded me of a statue.

I continued my way up to the Girls' dorms and ran to where my bed was. There was a mirror right beside it on the wall. I quickly removed my grey long-sleeved sweated and my white button up blouse to expose my black camisole. I removed my hair from the loose pony tail that remained in my hair since quidditch. My hair was now dry but very tangled. I ran my fingers through it until I was satisfied that all the knots were out. I shut my eyes tightly and questioned whether I wanted to assess the damage Damon's hand had left on my arm. I sighed quietly and slowly opened one eye to peek. My mouth fell open and I opened both of my eyes. Five bright red spots marked my flawless skin. Well, it wasn't flawless anymore.

I took in a sharp breath, trying to calm myself down a bit. My roommates would hear me if I was too loud. I didn't want to wake them. I'm guessing that while I was asleep everyone shuffled back into the common room and took up their spot in their dorms. You'd think at least one of them would wake me up, and then this would have never happened! I didn't realize my eyes were closed until I opened them. My attention turned back to my arm. I slid my hair over my right shoulder and looked a deep breath as I stared down my left forearm. I ran my finger over one of them and winced in pain. Tears continued to roll down my red cheeks but I remained silent. I looked up at my face. My eyes were blood-shot and hung heavy. I slowly exhaled and looked back down to my arm. I soon accepted that they were going to bruise.

And then I thought of Draco. What would he say when he saw the bruises? He's going to kill Damon! A loud sob escaped my lips and I flopped down on to my bed. I removed my silver flats my skirt to show black spandex shorts and quickly crawled underneath the warm covers. I felt safe under my covers. I cried into my pillow and removed my face to see that the pillow was now soaking. I didn't care though. My already heavy eyes grew heavier and I drifted off into dream land.

**LUCY'S DREAM**

Woods. That's what I saw everywhere I turned. It was night-time and the sky was cloudy but the full moon was partially visible behind the smoky grey wisps. I stood in a clearing. I looked down to myself and found that I was in a dark blue dress. It fit closely to my body in all the right ways. The length stretched down to my ankles and fanned out at the bottom in layers. I was wearing nude wedges which I found strange because I never wore heels. I examined the dress and found that it was strapless and that it was a mermaid. (C&P link into browser to see the dress: /look/44607 .) My red hair fell over my right shoulder in soft, loose waves. I turned around quickly and found that I was at the edge of a lake. The lake's water, however, was way too reflective. I stared down at myself and found that I was wearing maroon colored lipstick and black mascara that complimented… blue eyes? I don't have blue eyes. I have brown.

I shook my head at the reflection and looked back up to my surroundings. It was quiet… too quiet. I felt like I was in a horror movie. I turned on my heels and saw that the entire forest was burning. I stepped back a bit in shock as the flames flew from every direction. That's when I noticed a figure emerge from the fire. It was him. Damon! I gasped in shock as the fire turned away from him as he walked towards it. He stood a distance away from me, on the start of the shore. My eyes filled with tears at the sight of him. There was a glint of fire in his eyes. His face looked menacing, devious. I cringed in fear and a smile formed on his face… an evil, horrifying smile. His head began to tilt around and I noticed that his features were changing drastically. His nose and mouth grew out into a terrifying muzzle. The disks in his spine bent into a hunch. Claws spouted from his hands and hair grew all over his body. He opened his mouth, revealing sharp canine teeth. His eyes were black but he just stared at me in his form. My jaw dropped in horror. The animal in front of me looked up at the moon and howled.

LUCY'S POV

I woke crazily. I screamed at the top of my lungs. It was still night-time I noticed. A howl ended. It was real? WHAT?! After a while of just sitting there, my mind raced and I had a sudden feeling. My eyes welled with tears and I shot up from my bed and ran down into the common room. Damon wasn't there but I did notice long slice marks on the back of the leather. I heard crying on the other side of the couch. I slowly strode forward to peek over the top of the couch and there he was. Damon was laying there completely naked with long gashes all over his body, blood spilling everywhere. I gasped in shock and ran to get a blanket. I quickly covered his body only to stop for a moment to admire. My eyes traced up his fit body until I heard another sob. I cover him up and applied pressure to the wounds to help stop his bleeding. I quickly pulled him up to me and my motherly side took over. I held him to me, remaining silent as he cried on to my shoulder. I've never seen someone so vulnerable.

Slowly his eyes rose up to look into mine. He broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry…" he trailed off. I softly hushed him and continued to cradle him. After a while, I looked down at him,

"What happened?" I asked him. I could feel him shutter on to me. It was a touchy subject I'm guessing but maybe even he didn't know. I think I had an idea of what happened to him. At least, I had a hypothesis that he might be a werewolf. I shook off the thought though and he raised his face to look up at me.

"Why are you wearing lipstick?" he asked me. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What?" I said. "I'm not wearing any..?" I ended it off in a question. At least I wasn't when I went to sleep. I removed my hand from cradling him and felt on my face. My fingers trailed over my lips and I removed them to look at the result. Maroon lipstick.

A/N: Ooo why's she wearing lipstick if it was just a dream?! Find out next chapter! Review/follow/favorite. PM me if you have any suggestions on what I could include in the plot! I'd love to hear some more feedback. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: OK I'm sorry. I'm only writing this for fun so I don't update on certain days, just when I feel like I'm motivated enough to start a chapter. It does help when you guys motivate me though! Anyway, it's 2am and I just finished this chapter. I'm sorry in advance for it being a bit short and for any grammar mistakes. -Love, Lucy

**CHAPTER THREE**

*** THREE DAYS LATER ***

I woke bright and early that day. It was 8 am from what I could on the clock tower and it was a Sunday. I found a note on my dresser saying that I should be ready by 9 for a picnic in the courtyard. I could tell by the writing that it was male, Draco! That charmer! However, being me, I hate surprises. They annoy the hell out of me! It's just the not knowing of what's to come that gets me all worked up. But, I had to go through with this surprise because, well, it's Draco. I'd really do anything for him and I know he'd do anything for me. I love him so much. He's been there for me when I needed someone and I am there for him when he needs me. I don't have a clue what I would do without him.

I combed my fingers through my ginger hair as I looked at myself in the mirror. Blue irises replaced my once brown ones yesterday. I needed to go speak to my father about what happened the other night and how my lips were maroon and my eyes changed because that was truly unnerving to me. Maybe I would talk to my divinations professor too about the dream I had and how it was somehow reality. I could come up with a natural explanation for the eyes, I mean; eyes change color all the time! Not overnight but still! It's just the lips that really confused me. I don't even own a single tube of lipstick, let alone maroon!

A loud irritated sigh escaped my parted lips. I was still in front of the mirror preparing for my day with Draco. Hopefully, it will go wonderfully. Draco was never one for romance but I guess today he's taking a break from his old ways to plan a picnic for us. It's so sweet of him to do so. What should I wear? I drew my gaze away from the mirror to have it fall upon my chest. I opened it swiftly and dug through the layers of fabric. That's when I saw it, the perfect outfit to wear out today. It would go perfectly with my hair color. I removed the two pieces of clothing from my chest and moved back to the mirror. I set the on my body to see how it would look. A baggy, long-sleeved, button-up, floral, dull tea green sweater with a lace crème colored skirt that hung from my waist down to mid-thigh. I was never one for muggle brands but I did in fact own a pair of crème colored TOMS that would go perfectly with the outfit.

I slid them on and took a look at myself in the mirror. Next step: makeup. I applied my foundation and concealer with a bit of mascara and cat-eyed myself with my liquid eyeliner. I left my hair as it was: wavy. It fell over my right shoulder and cascaded down my torso, stopping above my bellybutton. My eyes wandered back up to look in the mirror. What I saw before me wasn't me. The person in front of me was unrecognizable and utterly gorgeous. I was beautiful. And then I fell upon the bruises that were scattered on my wrist. I quickly removed my makeup from its bag once more and tried my best to cover up the purple-ish blue marks. In the end, they were still visible but not as prominent. _As long as I keep my sleeves down, it will all go swimmingly!_ I told myself.

My eyes wandered over the courtyard. There were so many people there today. I removed a tube of lip balm from my little hand bag that I carried with me. Applying it, my lips rubbed over each other to spread it evenly. I needed to be ready for Draco because with a romantic picnic, there is always kissing. I was growing patient. I wanted a kiss now! I groaned. It was taking longer to find my blonde haired boy than I expected it to. Where was he? Turns out, I wasn't looking for a blonde. I was looking for a brunette. I spotted him, dressed in a white button-down shirt and black skinnies with brown dress shoes. Damon was waving at me from across the courtyard. His other hand was behind his back. He slowly made his way over to me and I huffed angrily once he finally did reach me.

"Hey, you look beautiful" he simply said. His smile brightened my impatient mood a bit. I'm surprised it had that effect. I looked up into his eyes and sorta, kinda got lost in them. _HEY!_ I'm only human! After a bit, he cleared his throat. I was staring, wasn't I? I opened my mouth to speak but I lost my words and so I just looked around frantically, trying to avoid his eyes. Once I finally found my voice, I spoke.

"Yeah, hi, have you seen Draco?" I asked with false politeness. His grin faded when he heard the name Draco. "Is something wrong?" I really couldn't care less if there was something wrong with him but I asked if there was just out of curiosity.

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong." I could tell that wasn't the case. He made it so obvious! What a horrible liar. I giggled at my thought. I didn't mean to, it just kind of slipped out. "You have a cute laugh" he complimented. A blush crept upon my cheeks and I just smiled lightly at him. "SO," he continued, "are you ready for our picnic?"

I choked on air after hearing his words. My eyes were probably the size of entrée plates. He was the one who sent me the note? Oh god. _I KNEW DRACO WASN'T ROMANTIC ENOUGH TO SET UP A PICNIC. UGH!_ I screamed inside my head. He patted my back lightly to try to help my coughing. Once I finally found my breathing, I cleared my throat and looked at him with a 'what?!' face. I could tell he read my expression and, by the look of his twitching hands, he was nervous.

"Oh, um, I just wanted to thank you for helping me out the other night… I probably have a lot of explaining to do so I thought we could talk over a breakfast picnic…?" He's so sweet. _YOU have Draco! Remember him?_ I reminded myself. Draco would be PISSED if he found out what you were doing. I really shouldn't go through with the picnic, but he does have a lot of explaining to do and I was really curious. Curiosity killed the cat, but Satisfaction brought it back.

"I'm only saying yes to this because I need to know what happened, you got that?" I said sternly, pointing my index finger at him. He nodded quickly.

"Yes ma'am! Oh, by the way, I never caught your name." WOW. I forgot I never told him. HAHA, silly me.

"I'm Lucy, Lucy Snape" I smiled. His smile returned to his face and it brightened my world again. He had such perfect, white teeth and such plump, kissable lips. I can't imagine how good it must feel to kiss him. WHAT?! Snap out of it Lucy!

"Damon Avery, nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand and I shoot it. His hands were huge compared to my small ones. Our hands seemed to mold together. They fit perfectly. I withdrew my hand before I could get lost in him again. "Well, shall we?" he motioned to a blanket spread out across the ground a distance away. He stuck out his arm for me to take and I accepted. It's like he's that muggle Prince Charming and I'm Cinderella the way he's leading me over to the blanket. I feel like we're about to do a ballroom waltz or something. It's so proper! I accidentally laugh out loud at my thoughts and he gives me a look of confusion. More like a look over 'have you gone insane or something?' but I just shake my head at him and give him a face of 'don't worry'. Wow, I really need to stop saying things like 'a face of' inside apostrophes. That's tacky.

He extends his arm out and I slide my grip from it and take a seat on the plaid cloth that extends about 6 feet. I rest my hand on the soft fabric of the square and wait for Damon to take his place across from me. There, in the middle of the blanket, is a basket which I'm guessing has our breakfast. It's silence for a few minutes while Damon organizes the stuff from the basket, onto the large expanse of the blanket.

"So, are you going to tell me what the bloody hell happened that night?" I intrude rudely. He looks up into my eyes and my heart melts. My anger melts. My rudeness melts. My everything melts. I begin to relax a bit, knowing that I didn't mean to be impolite and that I shouldn't ask him like that. There's something about this secret that makes me feel like I don't even want to know. BUT I've got to know! Curiosity killed the cat. BUT Satisfaction brought it back. I need that Satisfaction now. I've got to know. It's killing me. Curiosity is killing me!

"Why don't we eat first?" he says, trying to avoid the subject for a bit longer. Of course he says that. We can never get down to business anymore. What's wrong with just answering a simple question? Why is it that people always have to extend things? I can handle whatever they throw at me, I know I can. Just tell me! Of course that was a thought and I didn't just scream that at him. _Remember Lucy, play nice!_ I tell myself.

Damon picks up a tin box of something, I'm guessing food, and opens it. Turns out it was my favorite: Peanut butter, fluff, and jelly triple stacker sandwich. If you really want to know what that is, it's when you get three slices of bread coat one in jelly, one in peanut butter, and one in marshmallow fluff and put the slices together. Voila! And there you have it. So many people don't get why I like PBFJ. They say it's icky but I say yummy! I remember one time I made Draco one and when he bit it he gagged. It was so funny, yet heartbreaking that my boyfriend didn't like my favorite food. All well!

My eyes widened at the sight of the sandwich and I gasped lightly. My eyes went up to Damon, giving him an 'OMG R U SRS THAT'S UR FAV FOOD TOO?!1!?1!/' look but subtler. I could tell that he read my expression when he smiled brightly, chuckling a bit. He reached into the container and took one of the sandwiches between his fingers. He offered it to me and I willingly accepted. I haven't had one of these sandwiches in so long. I miss the taste. The taste. I need to eat this bad boy. I swiftly bit into the sandwich and chewed the piece that ripped off. Oh my god. This guy is a genius chef. My mouth was having tastegasms. I finished the sandwich and remember that I was in the presence of Damon. Why was I here again? OH!

"So are you going to tell me or what?" I asked swiftly, licking the bit of peanut butter off of the tips of my fingers.

"I'll tell you on one condition."

"And what's that?" What? A condition? Are you serious?

"You answer my question" he said simply. I nodded and watched as he reached behind him. His hand moved back around and he held something up in the air. My eyes focused on the object and I raised an eyebrow in fake confusion. He was holding up a feather, a harpy feather. "What are you?"


End file.
